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1 of 5The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG roadster doesn't have the classic gullwing doors found on the coupe, but that didn't make it any less of a supercar.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

2 of 5The car's chassis was tight and rigid, especially for a roadster.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

3 of 5One big difference between the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG coupe and roadster -- besides the option of top-down driving in the latter vehicle -- was the roadster's lack of adjustable suspension.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

4 of 5The 6.2-liter V8 in the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG roadster provides supercar performance and a snarling soundtrack to back it up.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

5 of 5Can't decide between the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG coupe and the roadster? Make space in your fantasy garage for both.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: After one of the more hectic Mondays shipping the magazine (something like 40 pages were shipped to the printer) it was terrific to walk out to the parking garage and slip behind the wheel of a supercar. What a way to let loose of the strain of the day. Drop the top and unleash the monster V8, let the exhaust note drown out the day.

This 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster is by any measure a supercar. There's an outstanding drivetrain with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission as aggressive in its up- and downshifts as any car in the market. Rotate the dial on the console to manual, hit the AMG button next to it and turn the thing into a race car, with the navigation screen converted to gauges monitoring every system in the car. I like the row of shift lights on the dash, just like an ALMS car.

For a roadster, the chassis is tight. Hard to determine any sort of wobble. The steering is a bit heavy but quite direct and the brakes could detach your retinas.

The roadster isn't quite as sexy as the coupe and its gullwing doors, but you can drop the top on this for a great open-air experience, something you can't do with the coupe.

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: As much as I like the SLS coupe, I like the roadster better. I love the way the car looks. I suppose my favorite view is straight from behind, and it feels less confined inside. And I'll always pick top-down motoring, especially in summer. That this chassis is so stiff makes the decision easier.

Most of the coupe's performance attributes apply here (brutal acceleration, pop-pop downshifting, NASCAR-like exhaust—all very cool) except for one big difference: The roadster doesn't have the coupe's adjustable suspension, using instead standard shocks and double wishbones. It's a wee bit firm but out on the freeway and over longer distances feels just fine.

Both SLSs are wonderfully balanced machines and the grip levels are out of sight. It's an amazing grand tourer.

I think I'd like one of each, please.

SENIOR ONLINE EDITOR RORY CARROLL: Before driving Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupe and Roadster, I had expected them to be fat, powerful, luxurious and ultimately silly cars.

They aren't silly at all. They are special. The SLS AMG is vital in a way that few modern cars are. It's raw and urgent and visceral and it sounds like it is seconds away from rending the highway from the earth. It snarls and cracks when you let off the gas like you're doing something wrong. A lot of the time when you let off the gas, you are doing something wrong.

Unlike some of the more impotent supercars on the market, the SLS AMG will allow you to take your life in your hands and turn the traction control off. Unless you are a professional, or you're on a wide-open piece of tarmac, leave that traction control on. From the leather-lined cockpit it could be easy to imagine that this is a car that you, the mortal driver, can handle all by yourself. But this car is as eager to harm you as it is to shred its rear tires. Leave some of the nannies on, the car is still plenty of fun. If you could buy a coupe with a real manual transmission, the list of people I would not kill to get my hands on one would be very, very short.

The stereo/infotainment system is in need of an update. It took quite a lot of fiddling to get it working, and even then I couldn't get a few of the basic functions to operate correctly. Other than that, everything in the cabin worked as expected. Interior materials, including some nice leather and real aluminum switchgear, are beyond criticism. The whole thing seems overbuilt in the tradition of an old Mercedes-Benz but it isn't quite buttoned-up enough to be called a luxury car.

From the outside, it isn't overwrought or over-luxe and compared to other cars that it might compete for sales against, it could fairly be called understated, especially in metallic brown. It's prettier in coupe form, but the roadster isn't half bad either. For drivers who are likely to attempt egress from the car in a short dress, the roadster is recommended. Just like the old 300SL, the SLS Coupe has some thick door sills.

SENIOR MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: I had forgotten how impressive the SLS AMG is, but one full-throttle, tracer bullet-like run down a freeway entrance ramp reminded me immediately that this car does not drive as you might expect. Its front-loaded proportions and relatively heavy curb weight imply that it will prove itself as little more than another AMG straight-line hotrod. But the SLS, both coupe and roadster, steer, brake and corner more like a GT racer than a stock car. And as Raynal mentioned, the engine sound and exhaust note are downright nasty.

I prefer the coupe, mostly for its looks and famous gullwing doors, which are necessarily axed on the convertible. This car, like many drop tops, also features a nasty blind spot over your shoulders when driving with the roof in place. That's the only thing I found to complain about during my brief stint. The chassis is exceptionally rigid, and I felt I had lost exactly zero-point-zero performance let alone grins by driving the open-air version of one of Mercedes' best offerings. I dare say I enjoy driving the SLS more than even the C63 AMG Black Series. This car is just that good—and that much fun.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: Handsome as a Ferragamo leather shoe, athletic as an Air Jordan, and punch-in-the-mouth wicked as a steel-toed Doc Martens boots—that about covers the SLS AMG Roadster. I'm an admitted AMG slappy—I love the kind of power and purpose Mercedes puts together in these over-the-top performance machines. But if it gets any better than this SLS, I haven't driven it. As noted above, there is a certain cachet in pulling up to your valet and popping a gullwing door, but I'd trade that for this top-down option in a heartbeat. Though I haven't driven coupe and convertible back to back, if this top-down model loses any rigidity to the coupe I'd be surprised. This car is a rock. It is also a rocket, with a blaring, burbling, roaring exhaust that pleads for more accelerator pedal, more downshifts, more of everything.

For those who can afford the best of everything, this one is a winner.